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Posted on 08/22/2004 9:09:58 PM PDT by igoramus987
Kerry Showing Signs of Meltdown?
The Kerry campaign closed out last week in full flail. And according to one source close to the campaign, the candidate is really starting to feel the heat. With looming questions about the integrity of his service in Vietnam dominating the narrative of the 2004 campaign, Democrat nominee John Kerry is in full battle mode against the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. In addition to the highly orchestrated smear campaign against the vets being run out of the Democrat National Committee, the Kerry campaign and the DNC has also produced a blizzard of legal threats toward television stations who are running the Swiftees television commercials, bookstores that carry their best-selling book Unfit for Command and against the Bush campaign and the Swiftees themselves for what the Kerry campaign insist is an illegal, coordinated attack against America’s most liberal Senator.
But for all the legal harassment and public scorn dumped on the Swiftees, it is Kerry himself who is nervous about the outcome of this increasingly nasty dispute. And it’s starting to show behind the scenes.
A source close to the Kerry campaign and the Democrat National Committee told crushkerry.com that John Kerry spent the better part of last week fighting with his political and legal advisors about how best to handle the Swiftees. His key political advisors did not want to confront the controversy head on, as Kerry has, for fear that it would draw further attention to charges of lies, fabrication and war crimes.
“There were several conference calls and a couple of meetings. Everyone was screaming. I would consider it the low point of the campaign,” our source told us. “By taking the Vets on, John Kerry thinks he’s demonstrating bravery. But it’s a horrible mistake, politically.”
Kerry also battled with his lawyers all week, insisting they distribute threatening letters to bookstores. According to our source, the Kerry legal team thought this, too, would be a mistake with a big risk of backfire.
“Look, bookstores aren’t going to stop selling this book because John Kerry wants them to,” our source told us. “From what I understand, John Kerry made the lawyers send these letters out. Kerry ordered it personally! I mean, we just look desperate.”
Our source also told us that several political advisors argued strenuously against threatening the bookstores and television stations, again fearing they would simply draw attention to the charges.
When asked if they expected anything to come out of the Kerry campaign’s complaint to the FEC against the Bush campaign and the Swiftees, our source was not optimistic. “Those complaints are pretty much pro forma. The Bush people have filed dozens of complaints against us and the 527’s.” our source stated.
When asked if they thought the campaign had overreacted and mismanaged the issue, our source said yes.
“The original plan was to let the press handle it [the controversy, on behalf of the Kerry campaign],” our source told us. “But John Kerry has gone off the deep end. He wants to personally discredit these guys. I don’t know if what they’re saying about him is true, but they have touched a big nerve with him. There is a lot of bad blood there.”
No doubt!
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Thats because there is more truth to the Vets version than Moore absurd version....
30 years ago Kerry spent four months in Vietnam then YEARS calling NamVets murdering war criminals. Today he has wrapped himself back up in uniform and is calling us lying war criminals.
He hasn't changed and our memories of being stabbed in the back ONCE is still livid...it's not going to happen twice.
Dems are idiots...and smearing Dole is irrational,but hey,when have the Dems ever be able to figure out that irrationality isn't a good game plan?
If he becomes Commander-in-Chief, just imagine how many he could amass!
Would look like one of those crazy North Korean military dudes...medals from bottom to breakfast time
That is so many medals the guy looks like is going to buckle under the weight.
Advantage Kerry....with his height would get a full set of medals.
Someone post the NK general pic for a good laugh.
He should tell Kerry to quit while the going is good. Besides the Democrats' heart is really with Mad Howard.
---Now the Swift Vets are destroying his Vietnam smokescreen, and with the second ad are showing him to be the traitorus opportunist that he is. His senate record will be blown open by BC/04 next.---
Yep and Kerry is already punched out.
---Who is Kerry's attack dog that I saw on TV today, he looks like a ferret and he snarls his nose. Kind of a freaky looking dude...----
Had to be Chad Clanton, the book burner!
Nixon didn't really do anything to squelch his opposition. His infamous enemies list was a list of people not to invitie to parties and such-ooh, scary!
By going Nixon I mean becoming paranoid and allowing his passions to obscure his common sense.
Wow! Thanks for that link. I'm now in a flood of tears just as I was as I walked along the Viet Nam Memorial Wall in Nov 1989. I would have never imagined my overwhelming emotional reaction to that walk along that Wall. My visit to DC and particularly the VN Memorial Wall was a turning point for me, away from political apathy.
The song your link leads to brought all those memories back. Thanks again, because I never want to forget that walk and those who gave their all.
Add to that the sagacity, even temperament and persistence of a John O'Neill and it is a winning formula that will change political dynamics for a generation.
From what I can see we have done little, aside from the money contributed, to help the Vets. The little firestorm has served to diffuse and confuse their message. We are way ahead of the general public on this and that may not be a good thing. We are analyzing minutia while Joe Schmoe is still working out the basics.
Looking forward, I wonder what the best approach is to help these guys. I think a bunch of screaming ideologues will do more damage than good. There has to be a way to run interference without blunting the lance. We want to keep the wound open another two months. A month ago Fahrenheit 911 was determinant but it has scabbed over and disappeared.
---Then Bob nailed Harkin .. because Wolfie said something about Harkin calling Cheney a coward, and Bob said Harkin was "hiding out" in Japan and telling people he was in Vietnam. Wolfie was stunned - to say the least. ---
---"I think Senator Kerry needs to talk about his Senate record, which is pretty thin." Dole added. "That's probably why he's talking about his war record, which is pretty confused."---
Bob Doyle punches pretty good for an old one-armed guy! :^)
I thought it was hot!
Dole. :^)
John Hurley is one of Kerry's VVAW cohorts who tried to stop a Vietnam vet from providing information to the press that Kerry met in Kansas City with the VVAW to discuss assassinating some senators back in 72 if I remember correctly.
He's back now as a Kerry lawyer and has made his rounds this past week as a whipping boy for the Swifties.
He was on Hanity against O'Neill a few days ago, got his ass handed to him.
Then he was on Scarborough two days ago against Steve Gardner. Gardner ripped him to pieces.
And today I saw him on Fox against Van Odell, same result, though todays exchange was more toned down. Vans a lot more soft spoken than Gardner and O'Neil. Steve Gardners a real ass kicker.
He'll be back for more this week. Keep your eyes peeled you will see what I mean. He fits your description of Podesta to a T. A smarmy bottom of the trash barrel SCUMBAG. His best line is to repeat "republican smear campaign" over and over and over again. It's really his only line.
My reaction is the same as yours to podesta. I want to pull him through the t.v. screen and beat the shit out of him. No joke.
I'll keep a look out for this podesta fella. He sounds like a real dandy too.
I think they're more irrational because the election is getting close and their internal polls are looking very bad.
It must look HORRIFIC!
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